Refinishing Wood End Grain Considerations

Once we put the coating on and refinish it, you have this beautiful, even color, but the end grain remains dull and discolored. You can put ten coats of finish on it, but when using a penetrating oil finish recommended by the teak manufacturer, it won’t change. We’re not clear coating or staining it; we’re applying a natural penetrating oil finish, which is best for maintaining the furniture and keeping it natural. When using this type of coating, you’re limited in what you can do, and the end grain is part of that limitation.

I wanted to demonstrate from a raw perspective and show you the changes when applying a little bit of finish. We’ve got our sealer finish here, a penetrating oil finish. Applying it to the top gives a beautiful, natural, hand-rubbed teak oil look. When applied to the end grain, it penetrates, but it remains discolored. Even after drying, it will turn dark and a bit dull due to the grain cut.

Let’s move to the back and apply the finish there. You’ll see the same thing: it penetrates but looks discolored. This difference in color, even after applying the oil, is because of the grain cut. No matter how fine the sandpaper or how much sanding you do, the texture of the wood won’t change much. The oil penetrates, you let it sit, wipe off the excess, and it turns dull. This is typical with penetrating oil finishes. On parts without end grain, the finish remains beautiful and natural, but on end grain, it appears dull and discolored.

Another example is this coffee table, fully refinished. The legs and top have beautiful raw teak, but the end grain shows a different color. Despite our best efforts in sanding and finishing, the end grain remains darker. This isn’t due to incorrect sanding; it’s the nature of the grain cut. Once finished, the end grain will darken just like the ends of arms and table tops. We want to highlight this to show the natural differences and assure you we’re not making this up. Different areas of the furniture will have varying colors due to the grain cut.

Take a look at this vintage chair by Brown Jordan from the Mesa collection, produced about 20 years ago. This chair has a miter cut and joinery that eliminates the end grain, showing no dark marks. However, on the parts where the end grain is present, it’s darker, despite being fully sanded. This is just how it is. Once the cushion is on and the furniture is set up, the difference won’t be noticeable.

To recap, this particular chair needed a full refinish. We cleaned, sanded, brightened, and applied the penetrating oil sealer finish. This finish is best because it looks natural and is maintainable moving forward. We could use varnish or urethane to correct the dullness on the end grain, but people here on the West Coast prefer a natural look. Film finishes fail, blister, peel, and offer no greater protection. With penetrating oil finishes, the end grain will remain discolored no matter the sanding or cleaning.

Once fully refinished, the chair will look amazing. You won’t notice the end grain discoloration when enjoying your outdoor teak furniture. Thank you for tuning into our video. If you liked what you saw, click the like button. If you have questions or different techniques to suggest, leave a comment. Follow us for more videos on exterior wood refinishing and teak furniture refinishing. Visit our website at teakmaster.com for a wealth of information. Thank you, Tim Gilliam and Teak Master, signing out.